You have a great opportunity to go eclectic. So using very modern and colourful elements for the kitchen - modern storage cannisters, a vase, lights, toaster, even mixer, you start to introduce shocks of colour and shape that jar with the expectations in a traditional kitchen. In this image see how the chairs just add a touch of cheek to cheer up the kitchen...

Manipalgoyal: I like your basic plan. It is well thought out....What does the top floor look like? The only thing that I would do differently from my very "Western" perspective would be to move the rear right bedroom upstairs and open up the back courtyard to the kitchen area. I would create a "great room / kitchen area with doors that open both to the front courtyard and to the back. This allows for good cross ventilation to help keep the house cool and comfortable on a hot day. It also provides easy access to the rear yard area without having to walk through a bedroom. Now all of the precious outdoor space is easy to use. The other element that I would introduce would be an atrium (or an opening in the floor) all the way up to the second floor with openable windows high up on the second floor to allow hot air to escape to the top of the house and out (since hot air rises) This is called the "chimney effect" and is another way to keep the house well ventilated. Of course this is how it has been done in hot climate countries for years, so you might be familiar with this technique already. Even if you don't change it, your floor plan is very nicely laid out. I would be happy to help you answer any additional questions that you might have. I do have a few questions for you: 1. Where is the laundry room? Is it in the storage space? This does seem a little narrow. How wide is it? You might want to work on how this space actually lays out. Is there a sink in this space too? 2. Why do you have such small openings to the outside from the drawing room and the rear bedrooms? Are they doors or windows? Wouldn't you wnat a door with an openable window with a screen adjacent so that you could have ventilation at night without having the door open? 3. How will you lay out the kitchen? Who is doing the cooking in your household? Is cooking a family event or is it done by a helper? You either want a bigger more open kitchen (Western design) or a more private kitchen (Asian design) Or a combination of both.......To me this is the most important part of the house where the family gathers and hangs out..... I would love to hear back from you. Christine Lampert

A garage door does not sound like a good idea. A rolling barn door is a popular thing these days, but a simpler solution might be shutters to close off the kitchen area, if that is possible. Draperies are another option. Carolyn Albert-Kincl, ASID

A good beginning would be to replace the walkway up to the house. A new brick walkway or stamped concrete in the same color as the brick on the house will pull all of the elements of the exterior of your home together. I made my walkway 3 feet wide with 2 feet beds on each side of the walkway in stamped concrete. Create the walkway at a distance from the house in an organic natural flowing pattern up to the house with planting beds flowing beside the walkway. Take the brick right up to the from door. Soften the entrance to your home by opening the planting beds up by the house into large organic shapes. That's what I did with my home and it changed it dramatically! It's a lot of work but what a difference!